Thursday, March 12, 2009

I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.

Obviously, we have no way of knowing what our future will be; however, as Christians, we know the one who knows--God.

We should not worry about the future, because our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). In other words, God will give you what you need when you need it.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Jesus repeatedly tells us not to worry: "Do not worry about tomorrow" (Matthew 6:34).

Again, Jesus emphasized that God loves and cares for us, and we therefore should not worry about our life: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:25-27).

Although you don't know what God has in store for you, be assured that He has a good plan for your life (see Romans 8:28). Because He has such a good plan for you, there is no need to worry about life. Although you don't know what tomorrow holds, you have the opportunity to know the one who holds tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009





True worship should create God

Everyone worships. Some people worship money, possessions, popularity, prosperity, or other people. They may not sing worship songs to their bank account, but by the way they live they worship (i.e. give value to) their money.

Worship is not just singing songs in church; worship is a lifestyle that places value on its object. True worship of God means that the one worshiping is placing value on God and putting him at the center of life.

That's what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24).

Notice Jesus didn't say anything about singing "worship songs." To worship in spirit and in truth means that everything in your life is centered around God and guided by him -- that your choices reflect him, that your actions are directed by him, and that you words are filtered through him.

In short, true worship is such that the one worshiping should be so enveloped and surrounded in the presence (the spirit) of God.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Wrath and love fuse on the Cross

God is a just and righteous God, perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4). God, therefore, cannot let imperfect, sinful humans into his presence. In his justice, God gives every person the fairly penalty for his or her sin--eternal separation from the holy God.

God is also a God of wrath -- holy wrath against sin. Romans 1:18 says, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. That wrath is against all who have sinned.

However, God is also a loving God (1 John 4:8). Indeed, God demonstrated his self-giving love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die for us (Romans 5:8)

These two keys attributes of God -- holy wrath and love -- fuse on the Cross. For that's where God shows his love satisfying his holy wrath in order to provide a path for sinful humans to know the holy God.